Mae's Messages
by Tak the Wonder
Summary: When Nawat leaves for war, he leaves Aly Crow of Pirate's Swoop with a crying baby, a breaking heart, and a desk filled with work. To keep in touch, the two write letters through the solemn weeks apart. Set about a year or two after Trickster's Q. Enjoy!
1. Epilogue

~ * ~

Hello! This is Juliette's Jealous Twin

I hope you love Tamora Pierce, because I do.

Her writing inspires me in so many ways.

so I'd like to dedicate this fanfiction story to her.

And I'd also like to add that most of these characters belong

to the wonderful Tamora Pierce!

_**A/n: **__I'd like to also add that in writing this story I had trouble with figuring out how Nawat should speak and write. In the second book, he barley talks at all. Because of this, his speech in this fan fiction may be a little off. I know some people are going to comment, "he speaks different from in the book". My excuse is that I didn't have enough materiel from the first book and second to help me. If you don't like that, I did put in the story that Aly says, " his handwriting is getting better" to convey that Aly was helping Nawat with his handwriting and speech. I thought it might be nice for her to help him like that. I don't know…. I guess that's the only thing I wanted to say to you. Also I plan to write at least 6 – 9 chapters for this fan fiction. Thanks, Enjoy! _

_Please comment, if you have any question, concerns of just wanna say hi then message me or find me on facebook and Enjoy! _

~ * ~

* Epilogue *

The Rajmaut streets looked as if they had been covered with a black velvet sheet, in mourning for a day's light that would never come. As the rain's droplets made the world bleed wet darkness like a runny painting, everything shivered in the cold.

Mae walked in silence, bright eyes darting under her own veil, and made the people around her crawl back into the grimy shadows. The usually bustling street was cut in disturbing silence, as it was too cold to speak. Which made the petty stall owners hide beneath the eaves of shops and in the corners of alleys.

Rajmaut's harbor towns were known for their evil, late springtime rains. Rajmaut rains made the crops and flowers beautiful and gleam with health while the poor shopkeepers and stall owner's lives wither, and wilt from meager pay. The rainy springtime was also the worst time to be a spy, watching in the streets.

Rajmaut's crowded Market Town was always filled with people, bee-hiving their way night and day through the storefronts, making a spy's job easy. "The last place they will look for a spy is in a crowd, they expect them to be in the shadows lurking like rats. The last place they will least look for you is in plain sight. Because when you are among many you are assumed to be just one of many, and un-important." Mae remembered Aly telling her when she had just started her spy training, which was true; crowds did make a big difference. Mae wished she was in one know.

Instead she was walking in the freezing rain, in a mourning young woman's disguise: a veil and thick dark colored tunic, under which were hidden assorted weapons. A single brooch lay upon her neck on silver chain, a painting of her "late husband" who had died a couple weeks earlier. She was a veiled ghost walking alone along a black-mirrored road, the sides lined with phantom faces.

As she passed the empty stands and dimly lit shop windows she glanced the faces of the miserable individuals whose glassy eyes bored into her. An old raka man twiddling a stick, a young half-blood girl collecting droplets of dirty water in a chipped clay bowl, a pair of men sharing a blanket in an alley, and poor luarin stall owner shivering beneath his own stand. It seemed as if the wretched rain had soaked even the people's sprits.

But Mae, erased their sorrowed faces for her mind and tried to focus on her current mission.

-&-

As the night's last droplets fell, the sun began to warm the sopping cobblestones and stucco houses, with it the springtime rain lighted to a soft drizzle, a single veiled figure appeared at the palace gate. The young woman nodded under her Cathraki veil and signaled to the guard to her right:

"_Taoloc, I have a fresh seed for Crow's Queen_." Which was code that she had information for the Copper Isle's Spymaster, Master Crow. The guards nodded back and signed back. _"The east tunnel is fine this time of day Mae, take that side, you know the way." _

Mae smiled, thanked Taoloc, and swiftly walked east toward the hidden tunnel concealed next to the Merchant's wall entrance. As agile and careful as a housecat she trotted into the shadows, and dissolved as if she had never been there. As she turned the corner so that she was concealed if anyone should enter to get to the Merchant's wall, she leaned her poised back against the wet stone, and listened for any footsteps coming in or out of the tunnel; only when the tunnel was silent she began to change out of her sopping disguise.

As she unveiled her face and began to change back into her regular servant's clothes, she starred into her own face in one of the tunnel's many glossy puddles. A young half-raka face starred back, a 17-year-old girl built like a sinewy dancer. With her hairpins now gone, Mae's long, millions of tiny spidery pitch-black braids glowed almost blue against her light browned skin. She quickly combed them and nimbly ran through tunnel's cobblestones, leaping over the sleek mirrored puddles.

As she came to the tunnel's end she was in a softly lit hall already bustling with servants, trades people, merchants, and nobles all waiting to get a moment with a palace adviser, or even Queen Dovasary herself. This was the Merchant's Entrance, and the only way to get into the palace if you were a lowly person, or a trading slave merchant. Mae weaved through the crowd, and made her self "one of many" making it look as if she was waiting in line like the rest, as she passed through a group of Bazhir trade merchants.

As Mae milled her way through the crowd blending in and quietly pushing people aside she made her way to the East Wing, which was reserved for the Queen's highest staff. With precision she made her way up a right stair, went up actually 2 flights, turned to the left corridor and found Spymaster Crow's private quarters. As she made her way to her office, the usual guard stopped her.

Sivan stopped her, Aly's full-raka mage guard. He signaled, and nodded. "_Aly's got no one in there now, go right ahead Mae. Hope you've got good news, cause she's been cross for days, hasn't slept in her palace quarters for about a week._ " Mae nodded back as he knocked on the door four times, and then opened it letting her in.


	2. A Crow's Call

-A Crow's Call-

As Mae entered the office, her face flickered and reflected on the dimming globe light floating beside the Spymaster's head. A young 19 year-old woman sat behind the desk, in a beaded sarong, her lengthening auburn hair danged along the patterns on her sash and clothes. A quiet, darking with a beaded pattern sat upon Aly's shoulder looking over her work as she did.

"Come in, Mae." Aly murmured, not even moving her face from her stacks of papers and reports. Mae took a stool from beside the door and set it in front of the desk.

"So my dear lass, what news do you have for me today." She said getting up and walking over to the baby cradle to left of the desk. She cradled her son, Myles as another surge of bullet-sized rain beaded the window waking the sleeping 2 year-old.

"Aly, I have good news from Tanair. " Mae remarked proudly taking a large roll of parchment from her wicker pouch around her neck. " At least the rain's lighted up, how's Myles dealing with the thunder?"

"O he's do'in fine, but I can tell he misses his Da, " Aly said, rocking her son slowly. "Any news of the revolt about in Tanair, if it's over Nawat could come home.." She muttered her voice trailing off slowly.

"I was surprised you came back to your palace quarters, I'd thought you'd spend this awful springtime rain in the Nest." Mae remarked trying to change the subject.

The Nest, was Aly and Nawat's private out-of-palace quarters provided by the Queen, since Aly's dowry only contained land back in Tortall.

"No, it was too quiet in that estate without Nawat, and if I was there I'd leave have to Myles with Gichio, his maid. Plus I need my son's company right now. " She said smiling, once again picking Myles up in her arms and softly rocking him by the window.

"Well hopefully that'll change, in his letter Nawat said they might be home soon. I read you're in your mail –" Then Mae realized she had done something wrong and added"-I'm so sorry Duani Aly, I just wanted to know how the revolt was going." Mae added sheepishly, handing the parchment over to her. Aly gave the girl a sharp hazel-eyed glance. Then she nodded understandably; Mae's brother and fiancé had been sent away to deal with the revolt, just as Nawat had.

"Anything else, Duani Aly." Mae said reaching for her bag, as her Spymaster undid the thick string and small spell lock from the roll of parchment.

"Actually yes, can you ask Sivan send for Lillija and Uslaim, I'll need to speak with them at Queen Dove's evening audience tonight. Whatever's happing with the revolt, they'll need to know about it. "

Just as Mae was about to leave, she slipped close to Aly's desk and placed a wooden chest, about the size of a loaf of bread next to her stacks reports.

"From, Commander Nawat to his lovely wife." Mae smirked as she said it, knowing her mistress would be pleased to get a gift from her husband.

Mae left as yet another roll of thunder cackled across the sky, leaving Alianne Crow of Pirate's Swoop with a crying baby, a secret chest, and a grieving heart.

-&-

Aly Crow looked over her desk.

Before her lay stacks and stacks of reports, a coded message which was still untouched, the message Mae had brought in, with the small wooden chest. Aly felt like a child on her birthday wanting to open the most promising present. She stopped her self, "Work first." She thought trying to resist opening the chest.

After loads of debating, she chose to read the parchment roll, and after checking it for tainting spells she unrolled it.

_My dear Queen and Spymaster, _

_I give you grave news of Taniar, the revolt still rages on, and we have lost many of our men, and to record three crows shot down by a enemy mage in battle. Not surprisingly most of the enemy attackers are luarin. Their main purpose is to convince Queen Dovasary to reverse her slave laws and high slave trade tax. _

_They are threatening to invade more raka villages and nearly took over an estate owned by luarin noble, Duke Rowan Mirai. Please inform his Lordship of the attack. He may need to send some of his own men-at-arms to stop them further; the attackers burned a servant's dormitory and part of the watchman's tower. _

_But in all this war, we have a bit of hope. Tanair's raka villagers have assembled a fine militia and have taken over two of the enemy camps. I sent two of my own flock's archers, and a full-raka mage from __Xanti__, to inspect the village and prepare their small fort for attack with protection and anti-fire spells. _

_I believe that in three week's time we should have the entire revolt cleared. _

_Nawat Crow, Commander of the Queen's Fletcher's and Archers._

Aly smiled, Nawat's penmanship had improved, for someone who had only been writing with a human's hands for three years his writing was perfect. His thin tall handwriting resembled a crow's claw scratching in wood: straight, thin, and sharp. She read it over and over, trying to make sure she knew everything she could, all the time savoring the sight of Nawat's handwriting.

"Trick, send the information to Gormun's darking, and have him update me on anything he knows." She said to Trick who shivered with delight after having to stand idol on her shoulder all day.

As her darking went off, she looked over her reports. There was a large merchant ship coming from Tortall in a few day, which she had to have her mage's inspect, she had a pair of Cathraki spies to interrogate. She also had a strange chest that had been delivered by a revolt supporter with a quite annoying lock that her spies would need her help with. She was busy, but why was the only thing busy in her mind was worrying about her husband?

Aly knew Nawat could handle something like this, but still there was a never-ending knot in her stomach. She was about to touch the chest and start to pick at the lock, when she heard Myles begin to cry.

The rain was still plunging from the sky but Aly knew that her baby son, was crying for his father. She rocked Myles for what seemed like hours and after kissing him upon the forehead, she set him back into his soft, black lace covered cradle.

Again she looked at the chest, she let all her resistance go away and opened it. The lock was a bit trick and she had to use some rare picks she hadn't used in awhile, but soon it was open.

Inside the there was a cloth wrapped over a large package and a folded letter lay across the top. She unfolded the letter and began to read:

_My Aly,_

_Aly, every evening for the past week I have attempted to write this letter, and have not succeded. It is too hard staying away from you Aly, there have been moments I have wanted to fly back home to you, and let my wings fell the soft Rajmaut air again. But I cannot, my Aly. I must make this world safe for my nestling, and you. The attackers have threatened to attack Rajmaut itself! I cannot let that happen. _

_I hope the springtime rains does not make Myles cold, please wrap him in his crow feather blanket to keep him warm, it may remind him of his crow kin. I have asked __Llesenia, an old crow friend to come and check on him at night and tell me if he is sleeping alright. So please don't be alarmed if she appears at his window now and then. _

_Many of my crows are doing well, with there training and they are getting used to being men quickly, I envy them really. Sometimes I wish I could be with you back in Taniar Castle when you were 17, I really do. I had to watch a fellow crow die in battle yesterday. It was horrifying, I didn't know him well but his name was Filipan, and his mate had just laid her first nestlings. The poor crow was shot down by an evil enemy mage. I shot him down with my Stormwing arrows, about an hour later, I should add. _

_I can't wait until I can teach Myles to fletch and aim. I believe he is much like you though, my Aly. He probably will turn out just like you, gaining his mother's and father's skills and becoming a master of skills. He has my hair Aly, but your watchful and careful eyes. They always remind me of you. _

_I have enclosed in this chest a crystal chain-mail veil for Myle's crib and something special for you. I think he will love it because it shines in the light, and all crows love shiny things. I hope to be back to you in a month no more. Goodbye Aly give my greetings to Queen Dove, Chenoal, Usliam, Lady Sarai, Winnamine, and of coarse baby Myles. _

_I wrote to your father in hope that he might write you some encouraging words. From what he told me after the wedding he went through the same thing with Alanna. And maybe he'll send little Myles a lock pick or two to play with. Knowing your da, he would! _

_I will return to my Nest as soon as I can, Aly. _

_Love,_

_Nawat_

Nawat's word bore into her soul, and made her forget her training as a spy, never to show complete emotion. She cried and left small tear droplets upon the parchment. She unfolded the cloth in the chest and sure enough found a chain mail veil for his cradle, which was, covered in magic protection spells, probably very strong and that would protect him from kidnappers. She unfolded the second piece of cloth, revealing a necklace. On its end there was a baby Stormwing feather that glowed and shined, which would have take hours to polish to it's current sheen.

There were 4 porcelain beads on each side, of the necklace that were elegantly patterned. With her sight she say that the feather had been equipped with paralyzing spells that would paralyze anyone who touched it's tip for some time. It would a useful tool in combat; _Nawat knows what I like_. Aly thought contently.

She turned the wing over in her hand_, "It must have taken him countless hours the make a silly necklace like this, but he did it to make me happy."_ Aly smiled, Nawat always tried to put her first. She placed the Stormwing necklace around her neck and went back to her mountains of reports.


	3. Myles & Myles

-Myles and Miles-

"_I sent two of my own flock's archers, and a full-raka mage from __Xanti__, to inspect the village to prepare their small fort for attack with protection and anti-fire spells. I believe that in three week's time we should have the entire revolt cleared. Nawat Crow, Commander of the Queen's Fletcher's and Archers._ Aly finished reading to her Queen and her advisors.

"Thank you, Master Crow." Finished Taj Dararaine, one Queen Dovasary's scholarly friends and advisers.

Queen Dove raised her hand and which signaled for her advisors and staffs to exit, as they all filed out the Queen stood.

"I know that face. " She said worriedly to Aly, who was putting away her papers and supplies.

"What face Dove?" She said trying to hide from her friend's watchful eye. "That's face you make when you miss Nawat, come on Aly, you miss him. Admit it."

"O Your Highness, he's left me before! I can handle myself. I'm a big girl Your Highness." She smiled at her old friend.

"Your depressed and bored, just like you were last time! Aly, I know you too well."

"That's what happens when you share you deepest secrets with a 14-year-old genius. " The Queen laughed as Aly finished, "I'll just make myself at home with my work and I'll be totally happy. "

The Queen starred worriedly at her feet. "You were like this when we first arrived in Rajmuat two years ago. You were depressed the whole time, you paid to much attention to your work-"

"-And I helped cause an extreme revolution and helped put you on the throne. " She politely interrupted her Queen.

"Aly maybe you should take some time off. Take Myles back to the Nest, maybe relax."

"Oh come on Dove, you know I don't want to go back there, its too quiet without Nawat." She gave the young queen an irritated sidelong glance.

"So you _do _miss him." Dove remarked, annoying Aly with her questions.

"How am I supposed to feel, he's my husband? I love him, and he's miles away from here. " Aly's voice and stone-like emotional resistance fell, she began to cry. Dove gasped; she'd never seen her former lady's maid act so. The Queen put a thoughtful arm around her dear friend.

"What can I do to help you, please Aly I hate to see you like this."

Aly's tear-filled eyes looked at her friend; for such a young girl her Queen was immensely mature.

"Your Highness I'm sorry for putting you in such a position, you don't need to do anything for me. I just need to get my reports finished, so I find out how to stop that dreadful revolt. And Nawat home with me."

"O I think there's something I can do.." The young Queen mentioned hinting that her calculating wheels and gears were turning. "What??" Aly asked, puzzled.

"O that's not of you to know, my little Spymaster. " Dove said childishly, and patted her friend's head.

As the Queen left Aly looked as puzzled, well as puzzled as a master of puzzles could. "What could it be…"

-&-

Rings of arrows were aimed at him, as they let fly, he jumped. As he jumped he plucked the arrows out of the air with insane speed. The entire world was a slow motion action scene, Nawat's hand pulling the arrows of the air, the in air back flip he did, and then the perfect landing, and as he fell he took the handful of arrows and plunged them into the soft dirt. The young luarin archers had aimed at him were open-mouthed, and astonished. The starred as if he had turned lead into gold, he just snorted.

"Another round boys?" He gave them a mischievous crooked smiled as they began to re loaded their bows. There was another round of arrows, this time he kicked two of them down and cached other three in his fist, and again there was a clump of arrows in front of him. Once again the men's eye broadened at the crow man. He heard the whispers of young men throughout the small fort.

As Nawat walked into the fort's kitchen to get his breakfast a messanger burst into the kitchen. She was half-crow like Nawat, and had flown all night. She looked a bit tired, but other than that she looked fine, she was a quick flyer and one of Nawat's finest messengers.

"Llesenia! How are you? How is everyone?"

The woman walked up to Nawat and hugged him. "Myles is fine, he sleeps soundly." Nawat shied, that his young son was safe. But as he looked at her the woman's face changed, and her dark eyes became shadowed.

"But not your wife…She was sleeping at her desk, and she looked like she had been crying." The crow woman said grimly, who looked at her feet worriedly.

"Aly….." Nawat shied and ran his fingers through his hair.

"O but she did get your letter…. it was on her desk," The woman added trying to make her friend fell better. "That's one good thing, at least she's not mad at me." He smiled.

"You don't know Aly, when she's mad, and you get in her way… you'll find that in the future near death experiences are more comforting than her. " He laughed, and shook his shaggy head.

"But never the less, I'm worried about my Aly, she needs me-," Nawat said, his voice trailing off. "-Llesenia, I'm going to go write to Aly… Thanks for the news…" As Nawat finished, tears swelled din his dark eyes.

-&-

Once again the Copper Isle's spymaster looked at her desk. She had finished most of her reports; all that was left was the suspicious trade ship from Tortall. "This will be a fun project, its perfect!" She told herself, she always loved chatting with merchants from Tortall; it gave her current gossip about what was happening back home.

As she began to pick up her usual inspection supplies into a canvas bag, someone rushed through door. It was Megrim, on of her spies in Rajmaut's ports.

"Master Crow, "he said, bounding into the room, and slamming the door behind him. "One of the merchants in the port, when… we came to talk to him, he began running through the harbor. We…chased him down, and he knifed one of our guards! I don't know why, but the guy said he wanted to talk to you. He threatened to bite on of the guards, so we put him in a blindfold and had Sivan give him a silence spell. The man's crazy!!!"

Aly tried to stay calm, "Who would want see me that bad…?" She asked her spy, who nervously shrugged. She needed to get this insanity under control. "Alright, Megrim I'm going to need you to get Sivan, maybe even one of Queen Dove's mages, actually get me Akono. He's got experience with this kind of stuff… I need a guard at the door. And go and fetch Gichio from the Nest I'll need her to watch Myles for the rest of the day. Then when it's all ready send the man in."

"Very well Duani Aly."

As Megrim left to follow through with Aly's orders, she laughed. "I wanted something to distract myself and I guess I got my wish."

-&-

As Mae stood in the kitchen of a large castle, the servant's around her flurried with platters and plates filled with luscious food. Mae looked at the food hungrily but, she was not here for the feast, she was on Spymaster Crow's business.

As a young kitchen boy, walked past with a hot bowl of broth, she stopped him.

"Where can I find Lord Rocco's head-chef??" The kitchen boy hurried away to the dining room but as her ran through the door he called out:

"O Kuna? She's in the spice garden over there, probably picking something." As the boy scurried off, Mae made her way to the spice garden.

There she found a middle aged, luarin woman with her hands in the dirt picking a large radish beside a wooded fence. Mae drew he hand-knife, and pinned the woman to the fence by the clothe of her sleeve. The woman starred at the girl, with an unchanging expression, like an old wrinkled stone.

"I imagine you are the one who collects the letters." Mae starred back just as cold. "Oh why yes. Do you have the letters or have you given them to Lord Rocco?"

"And what if I have, girl."

"Did you know, that my sources tell me that the Lord himself has given substantial funds to the revolt? He even is having one of the revolt's co-conspirators over for dinner tonight. "

"I was aware of that. Yes." Mae looked into the woman's eyes and leaned forward, close to her ear.

"His Lordship is not in the favor of her Highness, when I report back to Master Crow, I could mention his disloyalty. He already suspected of treason, he could be convicted and lose everything. Including his servants. "

The older woman's eyes widened, and she nodded furiously.

"Tell your mistress that her letters will be given directly to you, from now on. His lordship's messengers will deliver them to her spy, personally." Mae smiled viciously.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Miss. Kuna. I'm going to let you go now, alright." Mae said knowing the woman's fear put her in the palm of her hand. The woman nodded understandably, as Mae yanked the knife from its place on the fence. The woman's breath seized and she stayed completely still.

"Those letters, I need where are they now, lass?"

Kuna's cold stare returned as she realized what she would have to do.

"Are you any good with a lock pick, my little spy friend?" Mae starred for a moment, and then grew a fresh mischievous smile across her young face.

"Well, that depends on what you're planning?"

"The letters are in the Lord Rocco's study. He hasn't read them yet; he was going to read them Albus Carolyn, that merchant co-conspirator you mentioned, over wine as soon as dinner is over. "

"Well then we'd better get into that room…" Mae said getting up and helping Kuna up from her place in the dirt.

The two women ran back into the castle's kitchen, and toward the servant's stair that led to Rocco's study.


End file.
